Foxborough Schools Move Ahead With Hybrid Reopening Plan For Fall

FOXBOROUGH, MA – As the deadline for Massachusetts school districts to submit their final reopening plan to state education officials approaches next week, Foxborough Public Schools plan to begin the year using a hybrid learning model which will allow students to return for in-person teaching in smaller, socially distanced groups.

The Foxborough school committee unanimously approved the plan this week after drafts of the reopening strategy were constructed by more than 60 district employees. While district administrators feel the hybrid model is the most effective manner for students to be taught, superintendent Amy Berdos acknowledged the plan will require some level of negotiations with employee unions.

In addition, school officials acknowledged in the plan that they will need to remain flexible as guidance from state health officials will govern how schools can move forward in coming week s in months. The district must submit its final plan to the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education next week.

School officials built the hybrid model on the belief that while a fully in-person system of learning would serve students best, however, ongoing concerns surrounding the coronavirus pandemic do not presently allow for such a plan, Berdos said. Yet, district officials acknowledged that the fully remote model that was implemented after the pandemic began in March did not fully serve students, especially those with the greatest educational needs, Berdos wrote in the letter.

“We recognize that the circumstances of every family and staff member are different, and that no plan will ultimately satisfy everyone in our community,” Berdos wrote. “I am confident that we can prioritize both safety and learning as we prepare for the start of a successful school year.”

Although the plan will require some ironing out with union members Berdos told the school committee in Wednesday's 3-hour meeting that 79 percent of 240 teachers polled are in step with an in-person return to school.

The plan outlines for students at every level, with each plan allowing for students to remain at least 6 feet apart from one another while they are in school.

According to the plan for elementary schools, students will receive in-classroom teaching for 2 ½ hours per day with half of the students attending classes from 8:45-11:15 before learning remotely from home between 12:30 p.m.- 3 p.m. The other half of students will learn from home in the morning before attending in-person classes in the afternoon.

Instruction at the middle school and high school levels will also take place with students assigned to groups with one half attending classes in person for full days on Monday and Thursday and the other group reporting to school Tuesday and Friday with the other three days covered by remote learning from home.

Families may also choose to opt out of the hybrid model and have students learn from home on a fully remote model. While the district may now have a plan in place to begin the school year, committee members, along with Berdos, are well aware they will need to remain flexible.

“No matter what decision we make tonight that could change at the drop of a hat,” committee member Michelle Raymond said before the board cast its unanimous vote approving the plan.